Minka Greene’s life is falling apart, and she doesn’t know where to start with putting it back together.
On top of that, she has to watch her twin sister marry the man she’s been secretly pining over.
What new torment can fate possibly has in store for her?
To her utter mortification, she wakes up naked in Jason Montgomery’s arms.
She’s never going to see him again, right?
Wrong.
Not only is the tall, tattooed-covered, brooding stranger the owner of the inn where the wedding will take place, he’s also the best man.
Everything about him screams out of her league. And yet, he’s made it clear that he wants her in his bed while she’s on the island.
Is this a recipe for disaster or a chance to meet the man of her dreams and find herself along the way?

Fragile Things is a sterling collection of exceptional tales from Neil Gaiman, multiple award-winning (the Hugo, Bram Stoker, Newberry, and Eisner Awards, to name just a few), #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Graveyard Book, Anansi Boys, Coraline, and the groundbreaking Sandman graphic novel series. A uniquely imaginative creator of wonders whose unique storytelling genius has been acclaimed by a host of literary luminaries from Norman Mailer to Stephen King, Gaiman’s astonishing powers are on glorious displays in Fragile Things. Enter and be amazed!

If you have fibromyalgia, you’ve probably noticed that you suffer from a bunch of symptoms that you almost never see discussed in connection with the condition. Those might include things like chronic itching, frequent urination, and maybe even frequent low-grade fevers. Fever, or pyrexia, is actually a common symptom among people with fibromyalgia, but how often do you hear about it?

And it can drive you crazy to have frequent fevers that seem to develop for no real reason, right? That’s especially true when you have no idea that fibromyalgia might be the explanation.

So, just what exactly is going on? And what can you do about it?

Pyrexia And Fibromyalgia

The most obvious question is, “Does fibromyalgia cause fevers?” Is there something about the condition itself that causes the body’s temperature to rise?

Unfortunately, there just isn’t a good answer to that question. We still don’t know much about fibromyalgia. We don’t even know for sure what causes it or how it works. If we understood the basic mechanisms behind the condition, we might have a better idea of why people with fibromyalgia often suffer from low-grade fevers.

Luckily, we do know enough about the condition that we can make a few educated guesses at what might be behind the symptom.

First, people with fibromyalgia often have weaker immune systems. This means that people suffering from fevers might actually just be getting sick more often. But if you’ve experienced this symptom, you know that this probably doesn’t cover every case.

Often, people with fibromyalgia develop fevers without any other sign that they’re suffering from a cold or similar infection that could explain it.

But, the answer may still lie in the immune system.

The immune system protects the body by releasing cells that attack foreign bacteria and viruses. But sometimes, the immune system begins to attack the body itself. This is called an autoimmune disease. And autoimmune disease can produce symptoms like fatigue, muscle pains, and frequent fevers.

Sort of sounds like fibromyalgia, doesn’t it?

In fact, fibromyalgia shares many symptoms with autoimmune diseases. Historically, this has led many doctors to suggest that fibromyalgia itself might be an autoimmune disease. But for a number of reasons, we’ve ruled this out in recent years. Of course, that doesn’t mean that there might not be some connection. And the link between fibromyalgia and autoimmune disease, whatever it is, might explain why people with fibromyalgia also experience frequent fevers.

There’s also another possible explanation that involves the immune system. Some researchers have suggested that the root of fibromyalgia might be immune cells in the brain called microglia.

The microglia produce flu-like symptoms in the body so that they can force you to rest while they fight off infections. Microglia seem to be activated by higher levels of a protein called leptin, which is found in higher concentrations in the bodies of people with fibromyalgia.

Leptin levels can vary from day to day, and the severity of fibromyalgia symptoms seems to be linked to how much leptin is in the blood.

It might be that on the days that leptin levels spike, the immune cells in the brain begin triggering symptoms like fevers. This could explain why people with fibromyalgia frequently get fevers.

Until we know more about the condition, we won’t know for sure if this is the explanation. But these are some plausible scenarios.

Luckily, there are some things you can do to help manage pyrexia.

Preventing And Managing Pyrexia

We don’t know exactly why fibromyalgia is linked to fevers, so it’s difficult to say for sure what you can do to prevent them. But many people with the condition have noted that their fevers seem to come after intense exercise or spending time outside in the sun. So basically, anything that raises your body temperature might trigger the fevers.

So, managing your body temperature might help prevent them. Make sure to wear cool clothing if you’re outside, and drink plenty of water. Take frequent breaks when exercising or spending time outdoors to help prevent overheating. And ice packs or a wet cloth on the neck can help cool you down as well.

Managing stress is also a good idea, as stress seems to make all the symptoms of fibromyalgia worse, including fevers. You can find a great guide on ways to effectively manage stress when you have fibro here.

If you’re already suffering from a fever, there’s a few things you can do. Make sure to rest and stay hydrated. This will help your body recover faster.

If possible, take fever-reducing medications like aspirin or ibuprofen. Finally, try to keep your core temperature down with cool baths or cold compresses.

While annoying, low fevers aren’t usually something you need to worry too much about. They usually resolve themselves in a few hours or days. But if your fever goes above 103 degrees (or 39.4C), or you have other symptoms like vomiting, you should see a doctor. It could be a sign of something more serious.

The preceding article is from FibromyalgiaTreating.com and is posted here for sharing purposes only. No copyright infringement intended.

Small towns are supposed to be idyllic and peaceful, but when Kate Chambers returns to her hometown of Wheeler, Texas, she soon learns it is not the comfortable place it was when she grew up. First there’s Gram’s sudden death, which leaves her suspicious, and then the death of her married sister’s lover. Kate runs Gram’s restaurant, the Blue Plate Café, but she must defend her sister against a murder charge, solve the murders to keep her business open, and figure out where the café’s profits are going. Even Kate begins to wonder about the twin sister she has a love-hate relationship with. Gram guides Kate through it all, though Kate’s never quite sure she’s hearing Gram—and sometimes Gram’s guidance is really off the wall.

Tired of Hell, the Devil has escaped his prison and come to Earth to revel in the pleasures of the light, eventually becoming somewhat of a feared celebrity.

Felicity Claire has always sought out adventure and danger. As a journalist for the New York Times, she is working on breaking a big story about a viral weapon being manufactured by a pharmaceutical company. But her plans get derailed when she is assigned to interview the Devil himself. Lucifer turns the interview into a game of seduction, and Felicity gets pulled into a world that blurs the lines between lust and love, and between good and evil. Passion, thrills and danger ménage as this story of revenge and redemption unfolds. Can you resist the original bad boy?

A bright barnyard tale from the author of Duncan the Story Dragon about facing your fears (and a pair of shears), and learning that a hug from your mama can make just about anything seem possible.

Wally does not need a haircut. His hair is perfectly fine.
Sure, it trips him up a tad and gathers a bit of greenery.
But Wally does NOT want a haircut.
He doesn’t even want one after his mama and their barnyard friends show off their own fun new ’dos. But when his unruly hair holds him back from the hoedown, he might have to reconsider.

Don’t Let Go (Love) from the soundtrack of Set It Off starring Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett Smith, was En Vogue’s last single to feature former member Dawn Robinson (lead vocals), and became En Vogue’s biggest international single, peaking in the top ten of many countries. It hit #5 in the UK in early 1997 and spent 13 weeks in the UK top 40, eight of those weeks in the top ten. “Don’t Let Go (Love)” became the third En Vogue track to peak at #2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 where it was the group’s fifth and final Top Ten hit. The song was a #1 R&B song for 1 week becoming En Vogue’s sixth and final #1 R&B Hit to date. The single re-entered the UK chart at number 23 in 2011 after girl group Little Mix performed the song on the eighth series of British television talent contest The X Factor on November 19, 2011: the En Vogue track reached #23 on the UK chart and also returned to the Irish charts at #50.

Disclaimer: I have no copyrights to the song and/or video and/or hyperlinks to songs and/or videos and/or gifs above. No copyright infringement intended.

Don’t Let Go

[Chorus]
What’s it gonna be cause I can’t pretend?
Don’t you wanna be more than friends?
Hold me tight and don’t let go. (Don’t let go)
You have the right to lose control. (Don’t let go)[Verse 1]
I often tell myself that we could be more than just friends
I know you think that if we move to soon it would all end
I live in misery when you’re not around
And I won’t be satisfied till we’re taking those vows